


Give Me Something Good to Eat

by copernicusjones



Category: Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons Series (Video Games), Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Genre: (because it's Luke), F/M, First Kiss, Halloween Costumes, I know HM doesn't have Halloween exactly just roll with it, Inappropriate Humor, Sexual Humor, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copernicusjones/pseuds/copernicusjones
Summary: Selena joins Luke, Bo, and the children of Castanet Island for a bit of trick-or-treating, but it's less of a treat and much more heavy on the "trick", as it's hardly what any of them hoped it'd be.   Luke is an experienced carpenter, though—which means he's great at fixing things, and this disappointing night proves no exception.
Relationships: Luke the Carpenter (Harvest Moon)/Selena | Sheila (Harvest Moon)
Kudos: 2
Collections: Bokumono Exchanges





	Give Me Something Good to Eat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rainbow_Volcano](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow_Volcano/gifts).



Two notable smells hit Selena as she entered Cornet Carpentry.  
  
The first was the rich, unexpected scent of chocolate—someone had been baking, and since the carpentry wasn't burnt to the ground, she assumed it was Bo. The second, and more pronounced smell was the distinct combination of sweat, wood and earth as Luke sprung out from behind the door and shouted “BOO!”, engulfing a shrieking Selena in a tight hug and spinning her around once before setting her down.  
  
Selena blinked as she found her bearings, and opened her mouth again, set to scold Luke for practically pouncing on her.  
  
Instead, she ended up saying nothing, and blinked again at the person in front of her.  
  
He smelled like Luke, but he did not _look_ like Luke. Gone was the rugged ensemble of jeans and a vest she saw daily, replaced by a sleeker—but not too sleek; it must be secondhand—black suit. His bandana was missing, revealing blue hair styled into two dramatically tapered curls: one at the back of his head, and the other atop. They reminded Selena of the riptides that assaulted Toucan Island during typhoon season.  
  
“What in the world are you supposed to be?” Selena asked. Whatever the answer was, it wouldn't match _her_ costume. Which was fine, because it wasn't like she and Luke were going out as a couple or anything...  
  
Luke tapped down the black, pointed sunglasses resting upon his forehead. He gave her what she assumed was meant to be a villainous grin, but looked more deranged than it did evil. “Um, duh. Obviously I'm Space Devil Hamil.”  
  
“Oh, right, _obviously_.” With a sigh, she crossed her arms at her chest. The sleeves of the over-sized orange sweater-dress she'd borrowed from Kathy felt uncomfortable against her wrists, too snug and constricting.  
  
Bo popped his head out of the kitchen, star antennae drooping sadly from a headband. He greeted Selena with a friendly wave. “And I'm Commander Gilligan!”  
  
Luke snapped off a salute to his junior officer. “How're the snacks comin' along, Commander?”  
  
“ _Snacks_?” Selena repeated.  
  
“Oh, yeah, me and Luke were making some snacks,” Bo explained, then said to Luke, “Almost done. Just cooling now.”

“You and _Luke_ were making snacks _?_ ” Selena asked skeptically, looking between the two. She didn't doubt Luke had the ability to cook—just the required patience and focus.  
  
Bo nodded. “Yeah, he wanted something for the... what did you call it, Luke?”  
  
“The pre-game! And the after-party! Trick-or-treating is an all-night affair, I'll have you know. And Bo might be the most extreme apprentice-slash-commander-in-training there is, but he's only one man. Had to get my hands dirty—” Luke splayed open his hands, which were sporting the last residual lines of a tan, from his fingerless gloves. “—and show 'im how we trick-or-treat around here!”  
  
Selena pulled a face, thinking of Luke's sawdust-covered hands coming anywhere near her food.

Bo noticed. “They weren't... _actually_ dirty. I had him wash up about three times.”  
  
Goddess bless Bo. “Well, you've had more luck than I've ever had, in that department,” Selena replied. “What'd you make?”  
  
All through Autumn, between the bar and the inn, Selena had had more than her fill of sweet potato pie and pumpkin muffins, caramel apples and cranberry cocktails. If she saw one more bowl of roasted pumpkin seeds, she was going to scream.  
  
Bo started to answer, but Luke rambled over him. “Oh, ya know: a little of this, a little of that.”  
  
What sort of response was that? Selena raised an eyebrow. “By the smell, I'm guessing something chocolate-y?”  
  
“Yeah, maybe!” Luke said, sounding desperate to get her off the subject. Weirdo. He was nearly bouncing out of his pointed shoes as he did just that, asking, “Hey, so didja wanna see what I got you for your costume, or not?”  
  
“Not that I'll have a choice, but... sure.” Of course, Selena wanted to spend more time with Luke, but that meant involving herself in a tradition she was completely unfamiliar with. Sharing special treats with guests at the inn was something she'd grown up experiencing—all her dad's homemade snacks, that she'd get to indulge in as well—but the whole costumed door-to-door thing? Not so much.  
  
Luke shot off to the back of the carpentry, to the bedroom he shared with Bo. Selena and Bo exchanged concerned looks as Dale roared from the back for Luke to watch where he was going, followed by a series of thumps and clangs. Shortly thereafter, Luke reappeared, arms behind his back concealing, presumably, the promised costume piece.  
  
“Alright, now close your eyes!” he requested happily.  
  
Selena did so without protest.  
  
For as rambunctious and, as he put it himself, balls-to-the-wall Luke was, he was surprisingly careful as he lowered what felt like a soft, though somewhat weighty, headband upon Selena's head. He wiggled the headband, maneuvering its tips behind Selena's ears and making sure it wasn't tangled in the long, wavy ribbon of hair she'd let stylishly fall from her otherwise skillfully put-together up-do.  
  
“Oh, man, you're gonna love this! I picked it out, all on my own!” Luke had gone to the mainland with Kasey and Owen a few days ago; now that the boats were running, business had taken off at Cornet Carpentry, but Luke never liked leaving Castanet alone. Selena could only imagine the devastation the troublesome trio had left in their wake—Luke probably had caused more damage, literal or otherwise, than he'd repaired. “'Kay, all set!”  
  
Luke stepped away, and before Selena even opened her eyes, she could hear Bo's stifled giggles. Oh _no_.  
  
Selena reached up to her headband, hoping for fuzzy ears but finding only solid, study... _antlers_? “Luke, what the hell did you—...?”  
  
Luke was ecstatic, grinning. “Know I've said it before, Selena, but I'll say it again: you got a _great_ rack...” he paused for effect. “Of _antlers_! Get it, because mooses have antlers! Get it?!”  
  
Selena growled and rushed over to Luke's work table, where he'd left the silver head of his axe laying. She hastily picked it up, the polished surface substituting for a mirror. Oh, she _got it_ , alright. She'd been expecting something cute, like a bunny, or maybe an animal insinuating femininity or sexuality, like a cat or fox, but a _moose_? Luke wasn't kidding or exaggerating about the antlers: for being fake and likely relatively cheap, they were rather impressive—and the very last thing Selena wished to wear out in public.  
  
“Get it?!” Luke asked again, laughter spilling out around his words.  
  
Dropping the blade, Selena spun to face Luke. “Did you buy me this _just_ so you could make a joke about—Bo, don't look—” she snapped over at the boy. Bo obliged and mumbled an excuse about checking on the snacks before departing to the kitchen. Once he'd left, Selena clamped her hands over her sizable breasts. “About _these_.”  
  
Luke's mouth fell open as if astonished that Selena could be as crass as he often was. He regained his composure and answered, “Nah, would I do a thing _like that_? You got the wrong idea, but if we're talkin' about my 'ween-sona, Space Devil Hamil, then...”  
  
Selena rolled her eyes. “Both of you are evil—and 'Space Devil Hamil' better not say anything about it while we're out with the kids. I'll claw your face off if you make any inappropriate comments in front of them.” She showed off her pointed nails, which she'd painted a deep, inky black that morning.  
  
Luke lowered his shades and winked. “ _Hot._ ”  
  
“Yeah, I like them too. The black is fitting,” Selena said, feigning ignorance to Luke's flirting as all her fingers—except one—curled into a fist. “It's to match the eye you're gonna get if you don't obey me.”  
  
With a mischievous chuckle, Luke took another step towards Selena. Usually she would have found this annoying, but in his whole black suit-and-sunglasses get-up, it was actually fairly attractive. Sexy, almost—and she would know a thing or two about that.  
  
“Can I come back yet?” Bo peeped up from the kitchen, interrupting Luke's progress.  
  
“Give us another—” Luke started, but Selena spoke over him, “ _Yes_!”  
  
Pause. Selena fixing Luke with a glare, and he relented. “Yeah, you can! Don't worry, it's all Safe-for-Bo up in here.”  
  
Bo emerged from the kitchen, this time with a few large canvas bags hanging from his arms by the straps. They were patterned with cutesy designs, like ghosts, pumpkins and black cats. “Should we see if the other rangers are ready?”  
  
The three of them had planned to meet up with island's children over at the blacksmith's around nightfall. Chloe, Paolo, and Taylor were all assuming the roles of Sprite Rangers—Red, Yellow and Blue, respectively. It was all Luke had talked about for the past week when he'd chat up Selena at the Brass Bar, and it was charming, to say the least, how he was looking forward to the kids having fun as much as he was himself.  
  
“Most definitely!” Luke took the ghost bag from Bo, and handed off the pumpkin one to Selena. “Alright, Commander Gilligan, Sergeant... Sexy Moose! Let's deploy!”

* * *

“Aw, c'mon guys, chin up!” Ahead of the others, Luke walked slowly backwards as he led them down the path winding along the edge of Kasey's farm. “You're Sprite Rangers, you can't be defeated _that_ easily.”  
  
Paolo, Chloe and Taylor all expelled heavy sighs that were, despite Luke's encouragement, the very definition of defeated.  
  
Operation: Trick-or-Treat had, thus far, been a complete bust. Even Bo, who Selena had rarely seen as anything other than cheerful and optimistic, appeared dismal as he trudged along beside her, carrying the kids' treat bags as well as his own.  
  
Although “treat” was a very loose term, considering what they'd all been presented with while making stops in the Garmon Mine District.  
  
Ramsey had given them little baggies of gummies— _vitamin_ gummies, that Chloe took every day. Mira almost gave out tea sachets of her favorite rose tea—until she became teary-eyed and distant recalling how much her late husband had liked it, and had to excuse herself. All Phoebe had to spare were AA batteries, and Simon offered to take everyone's picture, which was sweet, and the kids enjoyed it enough, but it wasn't anything sugary and bad-for-you that they could stuff in their faces. Selena, on the other hand, declined to be part of any photo, no matter how much Luke begged. There was no way she wanted this “outfit” in any way memorialized.  
  
“Too bad we can't head to Toucan Island,” Selena said to no one in particular as the group made their way towards Flute Fields. It wasn't like her to initiate conversation, but sharing happy, albeit personal, memories was worth it if meant helping the kids quit their moping. “My dad would make sure no one got jipped on treats, that's for sure.”  
  
“I didn't think you'd celebrate Halloween there, Selena,” Bo said. Ahead of them, the kids had slowed down somewhat, letting Bo and Selena catch up so they could listen to anything else Selena might say.  
  
“I didn't think so either,” Paolo added. “Toucan Island doesn't seem like it'd get very... chilly or spooky or anything!”  
  
“Oh, we don't have costumes, but my dad makes some snacks to hand out to the guests—and of course there's always extra for me and Mom.”  
  
“Like what?” Chloe asked.  
  
“Coconut macaroon cookies, for one.” Just by naming them, Selena could practically smell the rich aroma filling every corner of the inn, that would linger there all evening and into the morning. “Instead of pumpkins, we hollow out coconuts and make lanterns from them, and the insides got turned into cookies. But my favorite was the frozen chocolate-covered bananas though—especially slicing them up to top a big scoop of ice cream.”  
  
“Man, that sounds so good right about now...” Luke moaned. “I _love_ chocolate bananas, I can't get enough!”  
  
“Me too!” said Taylor, and Chloe and Paolo chimed in their agreement.  
  
Selena smiled back, glad that their moods could so easily be improved. “And my dad's way of making them is the best—it's the chocolate.” The zip of the spices he mixed in, melding with the soft, distinct flavor of the banana... Ugh, so much for making the kids feel better—now she was just making herself hungry... and a bit homesick.  
  
“Maybe we'll have to ask him for the recipe next time we go to Toucan Island, huh?” Luke asked, looking directly at Bo.  
  
“Oh...OH, yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Bo replied with an unusual amount of discomfort for such an innocuous question.  
  
Something about sharing a family recipe with Luke, even if she doubted very much his ability to actually follow the directions and succeed in making it, made Selena's heart dance. She wasn't sure if he'd hear her—he'd just ordered “ _Charge_!” and was racing with Chloe and Taylor across the Flute Field bridge—but it didn't stop her from saying, “I think so too.”

* * *

After the bridge race, which Taylor, Chloe and Luke all claimed they won, and which Bo couldn't confirm on account of being unable to see properly since he was carrying everyone's bags, Luke gathered the group by the waterwheel. He readjusted his crooked glasses and smoothed down his disheveled hair, then addressed the others. “Alrighty, gang, here's the game plan! Whaddya say we split up and recon over at Chase's house in fifteen minutes?”  
  
“How will we know when fifteen minutes is up?” Chloe asked.  
  
“Yeah,” Paolo added. “We don't have watches or anything.”  
  
“You'll uh—Bo! You can be the clock! Count one-Fugue Forest, two-Fugue Forest, ya know?”  
  
“I can probably estimate when fifteen minutes is up...” Bo suggested hesitantly.  
  
“Oh, yeah, or that works too!” Luke pointed in the direction of Marimba Farm. “You guys take the farm; only the powers of the Sprite Rangers combined are any match for Ruth's cryo-death glare!”  
  
That, and Selena knew Luke wasn't exactly on Craig's good side (not that anyone ever was) for helping Kasey construct a pair of scarecrows in Clarinet District that bore a _very_ strong resemblance to Taylor's parents.  
  
The children eagerly headed towards Marimba Farm with Bo trailing behind, a little less eager due to his overflowing arms.  
  
“Ah, just the two of us,” Luke said, without any of the suggestiveness Selena would have used. Still, he slung an arm over Selena's shoulder, and swept the other out to indicate Julius's house several yards in front of them. “Right this way!”  
  
“Are you _really_ having fun, or just putting on a show for the kids?” Selena asked as they walked slower than necessary towards Julius's.  
  
“What, of _course_ I'm having fun, why wouldn't I?” Luke grinned, in his _Luke_ way and not sneaky and devious like Space Devil Hamil. “Yeah, I could do with a little more candy, but like... it's the spirit of it, you know? My mom used to do this kind of stuff with me when I was little. Not trick-or-treating specifically, but like, no matter the holiday, no matter how you were feelin' before it, you _celebrated_. And we always came out feelin' better by the end of it.”  
  
Luke didn't talk about his mom a lot—usually, because he was in front of Dale, and didn't want to dredge up her memory, is what he'd told Selena. That, and he thought talking was cheap, when he could honor her through his actions. But hearing it put so heartfelt and straightforward was sweet, and Selena had never hid that she was attracted to Luke physically—emotionally though? She'd never been drawn to him more, even with his stupid Space Devil Hamil hair and sunglasses that might poke her eye out should she try to give him a peck on the cheek.  
  
But that was only a _might_ , and Selena wasn't one to back down from a little risk. As they stopped in front of Julius's door, she leaned in closer to Luke, rose to her toes, turned her head and...  
  
“ _OW!_ ”  
  
promptly _whapped_ Luke in the face with her antlers.  
  
“Dang, what the crap?” Luke massaged his cheek, and Selena broke away with a huff. “Moose on the loose!”  
  
Selena scowled, more annoyed that Luke didn't realize what she'd been so _obviously_ about to do, than the fact that she hadn't done it.  
  
Julius's door cracked open to reveal its dressed-down resident—who was still more put together than anyone else on Castanet. His flashy purple hair was tied back, showing off a pair of dangly chain earrings sporting various charms like amber pumpkins and onyx black cats. “What's all this commotion?” he asked, though the arch look he was giving Luke implied he already had an idea.  
  
“Frick, no, Julius, get back inside! There's a procedure to all this!” Luke lunged at Julius, who backed up with a loud “ _Eep!_ ” and slammed the door shut.  
  
Well, that was one way to do it. Selena knew what was coming next, and before she could suggest Luke _not_ do what he'd done at every home in the Garmon Mine District, Luke took a deep breath and hammered his fist repeatedly on Julius's door, all while shouting:  
  
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!”  
  
Slowly, cautiously, Julius reappeared, with a disturbed expression as if he was trapped in a horror movie. “Good _Goddess_ , what are you on about?”  
  
“'Zactly what I said!” Luke put out his empty hands, palms up, making a grabby motion. “Now gimme the goods!”  
  
Julius let out an exasperated sigh. “Please, you think I'm going to just _have_ candy laying around to give out—I watch my figure, unlike some people on this island.”  
  
Selena didn't like the way his eyes lingered on her as he said that. She was _thisclose_ to stabbing her beautifully manicured thumbnail into Julius's perfectly-outlined eye.  
  
“Well, you _should_!” Luke protested.  
  
Despite her best efforts, Selena's face must have broadcast the seething anger within her. Julius's smile turned—appropriately—witchy as he said, “Oh, perhaps I can scrounge something up especially for you two, but only if you tell me what in the world your costume is supposed to be.” He was clearly speaking to Selena, and sounded only half-interested in knowing the answer.  
  
“A moose,” Selena said blandly, before Luke jabbed her with his elbow. “ _Ow_! Fine... I'm a—” she put a hand on her hip, like it was a move in one of her dance routines. “ _Sexy_ moose.”  
  
“And _I'm_ —” Luke mimicked her—poorly—and struck the same pose. “Sexy Space Devil Hamil.”  
  
“You're...” Julius blinked, shook his head. “Excuse me, you're _what_?”  
  
“Oh, c'mon Julius, you know how style and all this junk works. Don't you see it?” Luke sounded something close to offended at Julius's ignorance. “The sheer fact that it's _me_ as Space Devil Hamil, that makes it sexy, ya know?”  
  
Julius groaned. He probably _did_ know, considering it sounded like something he himself would say.  
  
“So, whatcha got for us, huh?” Luke asked.  
  
“Do you take advice?”  
  
“Psh, yeah right, like I'd ever use somethin' lik _e that_. Nah, you gotta have something to treat us with—and for the kids too!”  
  
“The kids...?” Like the sun peeking through a gray, cloudy sky, Julius's mood shifted completely. He was soft when it came to the Castanet children—not too openly, but Selena had seen more than once how he'd stop them to do a 'fashion check' and smooth out wrinkled shirts or flatten turned-up sleeves and collars. Of course, she didn't doubt that they ruined his efforts shortly thereafter, but it was the thought that counted. “Hm... if only you'd said so in the first place.”  
  
Julius disappeared back into his house, and Luke spent the next minute fraught with anticipation, mumbling things like “Oh boy... oh _man_ , I can't wait!” under his breath.  
  
When Julius returned, he handed them each a small transparent pouch containing several different-sized make-up brushes and sponge applicators. “I'm afraid this is all I have.”  
  
“Huh?” Luke turned the bag around, as if to make sense of it. “What, are they like, secretly chocolate or something?”  
  
“They're for make-up, Luke.” Selena mimed blending concealer along her cheekbones. Well, she would get use out of these, at any rate. Maybe she could convince Kathy to try a new look, too. She put her brushes and the ones for the kids in her bag and gave Julius a grateful smile that was only somewhat forced. “Thanks, Julius.”  
  
With a flourish of his hand, Julius said, “Of course, honey—we can't let every day be Halloween, now can we? It's only one day a year that we're permitted to look scary.”  
  
Selena narrowed her eyes, unsure if Julius was directing that statement at her, or just offering commentary. Meanwhile, Luke had extracted the fat round sponge applicator from the bag, and was squeezing it. Repeatedly. _Repeatedly._ Then he brought it to his mouth and slowly, carefully, brought his teeth down on it—apparently he wasn't yet convinced that it didn't secretly contain chocolate.  
  
“Oh, yeah, definitely a hundred percent real sponge!”  
  
Julius gave them one last smirk before going back inside. At this point, Selena couldn't even bring herself to sigh. She straightened her antlers and took Luke by the arm.  
  
“Come on. Let's see if Bo and the kids had better luck than us... and if Chase has anything edible.”

* * *

Bo and the kids, had not, in fact, had better luck. Arguably, they'd had the worst luck of the whole night. _  
_  
“My dad wouldn't give us any candy—he said I was hyper enough!” Taylor moaned when Selena and Luke asked how the stop at Marimba Farm had gone.  
  
“But you got something, didn't ya?” Luke looked between the three downtrodden children, and Bo, who was still weighed down with their treat bags.  
  
“Well...” Taylor took his bag from Bo and rummaged around in it. He came out with several leaves of spinach all bundled together by a rubber band. “There's _this_ ,” he said, as if the spinach was poisonous, fatal if consumed.  
  
“Wha, no way! That looks _so_ good!”  
  
The kids all exchanged varying looks of incredulity, then blinked at Luke.  
  
“I'm serious! All Julius gave us were these stupid things to paint your eyeballs with or whatever. Although he did give us this cool squeezey sponge thing... here, wait, I'll show you guys, aw, it's so cool...! _”_  
  
If Luke started at the sponge again, he wouldn't stop. Selena drew his hand away from going in his bag.  
  
“No, no. One last stop.” She waved at Chase's house, not too far in front of them. “I thought we were on a _mission,_ Hamil.”  
  
“Yeah,” Bo said “If anyone's got anything worth handing out, it'll be Chase, right?”  
  
The children were too glum to answer, and gave only the faintest of nods.  
  
_“_ Right,” Selena agreed for them, but internally she knew that whether or not Chase would have an attitude willing to do so was a whole 'nother story.  
  
Only one way to find out, and Luke was the only one still possessing enough spirit to do so.  
  
He pounded a fist on Chase's front door— _bangbangbangbang!_ Bo flinched and Paolo made a squeaking noise. _  
  
_The door flew open seconds later, revealing a very annoyed Chase. “Goddess, what the—!”  
  
“TRICK OR TREAT, SMELL MY FEET, GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT!” Luke went on shouting the rest of the schpeil, loud enough that Selena was certain her parents on Toucan Island could hear him.  
  
It was during this that Selena noticed this very-annoyed Chase was also very-brandishing-a-large-kitchen-knife, and that his apron was stained with large dark splotches.  
  
_Everyone_ noticed it, even Luke, who had ended his plea with “UNDERWeahhh...?” and was staring at Chase.  
  
Chase followed their gazes, and his annoyance transformed into a wicked smirk.  
  
“Oh, you like my costume?” Chase gestured to his apron. “Maya was on me to dress up, and I usually don't get involved in these things, but... let's just say, sometimes, the costume picks you.”  
  
“Whaddya mean?” Paolo asked in a small voice.  
  
“Can't you tell? I'm a serial killer,” Chase said flatly.  
  
“Why would you wanna murder cornflakes, what'd they ever do— _ow_!” Luke was cut off, Selena backhanding his arm.  
  
“But I don't think you... _look_ like a serial killer, Mr. Chase,” Chloe said meekly.  
  
“Well, no, we hide in plain sight. Just...” Chase vaguely waved the knife around. “You know, out in the real world. Masquerading as the common man.” He nodded at Selena. “Or woman.”  
  
“Okay then, Mr. Serial Killer, whatcha got for us, huh? Taffy? Candy corn? Gummies?”  
  
“None of that, I'm afraid. Only a...” Using his thumb, he wiped a still-fresh blob of what was _hopefully_ not-blood from his apron, and sucked it clean. “Secret sauce.”  
  
“Secret, huh?” Selena wasn't so sure it was anything too different than what Chase served at the Brass Bar on Fridays, his variation on Yolanda's spaghetti marinara. “What's so _secret_ about it?”  
  
“Oh, let's just say that Maya had a...” Feather-light so as to not cut himself, Chase slowly, deliberately, skimmed the edge of his knife along his wrist. “ _Hand_ in making it.”  
  
Paolo tugged on Selena's sleeve. “C-Could we go, Selena? I don't even think I want candy...”  
  
He'd spoken loud enough for Chase to hear, and the chef put on a look of concern. “Hey, there, I might not have any candy, but I do have treats, if you guys want some.”  
  
“Aw, yeah, about time!" Luke said. "Thanks, Chase, I knew we could count—”  
  
“Ah, wait...” Chase interrupted. He was pointing to the group one-by-one—counting them, Selena realized. “Actually, I dunno. There's six of you, and I only have enough to give out for five people, unfortunately.”  
  
“ _Five_?” Luke repeated, frustration mounting. “Well fine, then give it to them—I got all-you-can-eat spinach, anyway!”  
  
“Great!” Chase said in his Brass Bar voice, that Selena knew too well. “Alright, so who wants the pinkie?”  
  
“The... _what_?” Taylor squeaked.  
  
“It's like I said.” Chase smiled at the boy, then at everyone else. “I only have five pieces to share.”  
  
Selena understood perfectly what Chase was saying. But for everyone else, who didn't quite grasp it, Chase demonstrated by ticking off his fingers with the tip of his knife. “One, two, three...”  
  
“Four” was interrupted by Luke shouting “Rangers, retreat! Fall back!” and using either hand to nudge Chloe and Taylor behind him. They scurried back to where Selena had already led Paolo a safe distance away, while poor Bo dropped one of the treat bags, its contents spilling across the dying grass.  
  
The walk back to the Garmon Mine district was shrouded in heavy silence, save for a few sniffles from the kids. The rhythm of the island around them was gone, and Selena, always so nimble and graceful on her feet was finding it a monumental task to just put one in front of the other.

* * *

“Aw, come on, guys!” Luke pleaded, going through their bags for the umpteenth time and coming up with nothing salvageable. “It was still fun gettin' to hang out with your friends, right?”  
  
Chloe mumbled a pouty “no.” Taylor shrugged. Paolo sullenly scuffed his shoe along the ground.  
  
Selena wracked her brain for something, _anything_ that might cheer the kids up. The first solution that popped up was to ask Chase, when she saw him tomorrow, if he were willing to bake up some desserts for them—but she couldn't count on him not continuing his macabre roleplay, and informing her the almonds in the recipe were being substituted for Maya's fingernails.  
  
The second solution... well, there wasn't one. All she knew was that hanging out with Luke for the rest of the night, as they had planned it, made her feel something she rarely ever did: guilty.  
  
“Maybe it's best we just call it, before it gets any worse,” Bo suggested to Luke, who gave a whine of protest.  
  
“Don't push it. It's _not_ attractive,” Selena told him pointedly, then turned her attention to the kids. “I can walk with you back to town, Paolo. Maybe can see if Hayden has something— _anything—_ you can split up with everyone tomorrow.”  
  
“I dunno,” Paolo said. “Hayden's... kind of scary. I don't wanna bother him if I don't have to...”  
  
“Hey!” Luke piped up. “What happened to hangin' out like we were gonna? Thought I was gonna get some quality moose time before the night was through!”  
  
“Give it a rest, Luke,” Selena said in all seriousness. “If you really need it _that_ bad, I'll wear these stupid things the next time I perform.”  
  
“Ugh, you don't get it though!” He glanced over at Bo, as if Bo might back him up on this—that Luke _got_ something Selena didn't. Bo just took a small step backward. “I put a lot of work into tonight, I even—! Whoa, wait a sec... that's _it_!”  
  
“What's it?” Selena asked.  
  
“Hold on,” he said to Selena, and then repeated to the kids. “Hold on. Guys, hey, you know what spot you didn't hit up yet?”  
  
The kids feebly shook their heads.  
  
“Cornet Carpentry! Alright, Commander Gilligan!” Luke grabbed Bo by the arm and dragged him towards the door. “Time to ready the _secret weapon_!”  
  
With that, Luke shoved Bo inside, followed, and slammed the door behind him.  
  
Selena had no idea what Luke was up to, but she never knew him to have ill intentions. So she stood with children while Luke could be heard inside, stomping around giving Bo orders.  
  
After a minute or two, Luke's voice carried out to reach them. “What do you think, Commander Gilligan? Those Sprite Rangers would _never_ have the guts to attack our fortress... mwahahaha!” For being so kind and upbeat, Luke did a remarkably good job of laughing evily.  
  
Bo responded, incredibly stilted and scripted. “Oh, I don't know, Space Devil Hamil... I heard they have a secret agent moose teaming up with them. She might lead them straight to us.”  
  
Selena couldn't help but laugh under her breath. The children looked confused, but not unhappy.  
  
“Hahahaha, then they'll fall right into our trap!” Luke went on. “It'd be a shame if they...” he paused, and spoke even louder, “ _Came banging down our door right now_!”  
  
Chloe glanced back at Selena, who nodded at her to go ahead. The little girl stepped forward, knocked twice tentatively, then, after a deep breath, knocked on the door as hard as her tiny fist could manage. She called out Luke's trick-or-treat speech, and by the end of it, Taylor and Paolo had come up around her, and joined in.  
  
The door edged open. Space Devil Hamil was waiting for them.  
  
“Well, well, what do we have here? Three foolish Sprite Rangers—” he looked past them, to Selena and bobbed his eyebrows behind his sunglasses, "—a seductive temptress of a moose!”  
  
Bo appeared behind Luke. He was carrying something Selena couldn't quite see, with Luke in the way. “Don't let them in, Space Devil Hamil! They're here to steal our—”  
  
“Chocolate-covered bananas!” Luke exclaimed, opening the door all the way and stepping aside to reveal what Bo was holding: a tray full of huge bananas coated in a fresh layer of chocolate.  
  
_That's_ what Selena had smelled when she'd come to the carpentry earlier.  
  
The children were just as shocked, staring between each other, then back at Luke, unsure how to proceed.  
  
“I _said_ ,” Luke repeated, “That they're _here to steal our chocolate-covered bananas_!”  
  
At last, Bo broke character, his easy smile reemerging as he lifted the tray a little closer to the trick-or-treaters. “C'mon. There's enough for everyone.”  
  
The kids exploded with cheers and whoops, throwing their bags aside and following Bo into the kitchen. Luke hung back, extending a hand out for Selena. “My plot's been foiled! Those chocolate-covered bananas were meant to lure you, and only you, right into my clutches!”  
  
Selena took Luke's hand, and as they walked to the kitchen, told him in a soft purr, “Oh, I don't know if it's been foiled just yet.”

* * *

Maybe it hadn't been a success in the truest sense of the word, but the kids were all happy _now_ , cramming bite after bite of banana in their mouths and smearing their faces with chocolate. Which, to Selena, was exponentially more than she expected with how much of a disaster the rest of the evening had been.  
  
Eventually Dale came by, to see what all the commotion was about. Luke dug out the make-up brushes Julius had given him, and said they were having a make-over party, and asked if his dad wanted to be next—maybe they could sculpt his bushy eyebrows. Dale just grumbled and went back to his room, as the kids giggled and snickered.  
  
It was getting late, way past anyone's bedtime, and despite protests from the kids, Bo, Selena, and even Luke all agreed that they ought to get back to their respective homes. But since it _was_ so late, and everyone was stuffed with chocolate-banana goodness, Chloe suggested that Paolo and Taylor could sleep over at the blacksmith's with her.  
  
“I'll walk you guys over there,” Bo offered. “And you can come back in the morning for breakfast, if you want. Banana pancakes!”  
  
Luke stood bolt upright, nearly dropping his chocolate banana. “Wha—! No shi—.. _iinngles_.” he mindfully edited himself. “Banana pancakes! I want some too, Bo.”  
  
Though rolling his eyes, Bo smiled. “Yeah, Luke, I figured as much.”  
  
With that, everyone said their goodbyes and Bo ushered the kids out the door, leaving Luke and Selena alone.  
  
“So,” Luke said, turning to her. “You can sleep over too. Ya know, if you want some banana pancakes in the morning.”  
  
“Very tempting.” Selena took a last bite of her second banana, and licked at her sticky fingers. Luke was watching with great interest.  
  
“Not half-bad, huh?” he asked, scooching closer. He slipped an arm behind Selena, letting it rest upon the kitchen counter they were leaning against. “I'm serious, I _did_ help Bo make them—more like he helped me! I wanted to do as much as I could on my own. But you probably don't want me helpin' out on the pancakes. Last time, we got one stuck to the ceiling. It fell right onto Boss later that day.”  
  
“They are really good.” Selena admitted. “Almost as good as the ones my dad makes.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I got the recipe _from_ your dad. I went to Toucan Island to deliver some goods for the inn a couple weeks ago, and ever since you said you'd come trick-or-treating with us, I wanted to make something, 'specially for you, give you a taste of home. So I asked him if he had any family recipes he could maybe share.”  
  
Selena's throat tightened. Luke hadn't been kidding when he'd said he'd wanted to “lure” her in with the bananas. “You went through all that trouble...?”  
  
“Nah, not _trouble_! Challenge, sure, but not trouble. But when I saw the kids so miserable, I couldn't... I hadda let them in on it. Couldn't be selfish, even if you paid me.” Luke's smile became more subdued—unlike him, or, at least a side Selena doubted he showed others often. “I figured of all people, you'd understand. 'Sides, it's not like we can't make more sometime, just for the two of us.”  
  
“It was really sweet of you. And... and I'd like that,” she said quietly, without any trace of double-meaning. She inched closer to Luke, angling slightly to lean into him.  
  
Luke fidgeted, though didn't back away. “You know, uh, when I asked your dad for the recipe, he started askin' about _you_. About... you and me.”  
  
“You and me, huh?”  
  
“Yeah, like he asked if I care about you and stuff. And I said, yeah, doy! And then he asked if I _liked_ you.”  
  
Of course her dad would ask about _that_. He was more chill than her mom about Selena's move to Castanet Island, but in typical dad fashion, he would want to know about any possible partners and become buddy-buddy with them. Hopefully he hadn't told Luke any embarrassing childhood stories, or worse yet, shown photographs.  
  
“And...?” Selena urged Luke on.  
  
“Whaddya mean, 'and'? I said 'of course I like her, what the hell kinda question is that?' Then your mom threated to impale me with her harpoon—” Luke imitated the action by wheeling his arm back and flinging it forward, “—but your dad just laughed and told me I better be good to you, and I've been tryin' to do just that!”  
  
“You _like_ me?” As he _should_ , but Selena had a tough time wrapping her head around how any of Luke's behavior translated to _liking_ her, and not simply finding her physically alluring. “Here I just thought you were into my rack.” She rolled her eyes up towards the antlers on her head.  
  
“Yeah, s'what I just said: of _course_ I like you, Selena I mean, yeah, your rack's great and all but...!” Luke tore his sunglasses off, tossing them on the counter; his amber eyes blazed with intensity as he continued. “You're a good sport about everything, you're patient even if ya act like you're not. You're _passionate_ , and you make the sexiest moose I've ever seen in my life. I don't know much about romance and relationships and that kinda crap but if I wanna spend every minute with you and do anything I can to see you smile and smash your face full of kisses, then I think that means I like you!”  
  
What an un-romantic confession. Not that she would have expected anything else from Luke; she was just thrilled about having one in the first place, and couldn't contain her smile. “Luke, I... I don't know what to say. Except that it took you long enough.”  
  
“Haha, oh, don't worry, _I_ know what to say.” He looped an arm around her, dipping his head close. His breath carried the heavy scent of chocolate. “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!”  
  
At that, Selena drew her arms up, draping them over Luke's shoulders and covering his sticky mouth with her own. His hold around her tightened, and her fingers idly reached to play with his ridiculous hair as the kiss deepened.  
  
When Luke broke from the kiss, needing a moment to catch his breath, he was grinning brilliantly, almost disbelievingly.  
  
“That good enough for ya?” Selena smirked, proud of herself for remaining so composed when she just wanted to throw herself back at him.  
  
“Geez, I didn't even get to finish!" Luke tilted his face down to hers, implying they were on the same wavelength. "If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear... ah heck, I might just end up doin' that anyway.”  
  
“Luke!” Selena screeched as his hands coasted down and grasped at her bottom, bringing her against him for another kiss.

Her antlers tumbled off her head and onto the kitchen floor, and Selena smiled through the series of kisses she and Luke shared that were, for as tricky as the night had been, an absolutely divine treat.

**Author's Note:**

> This was part of the Bokumono Exchange for Fall 2020! I had a LOT OF FUN with this, because I've been wanting to write a fic with Luke/Selena as the main couple for forever and this was my chance. They're my fave rival couple in AP, and Selena is just the best, period. Hope you enjoy, **Rainbow_Volcano** , and anyone else who reads this! Kudos and comments are always appreciated, and feel free to check out @bokumonoexchange on tumblr if you're interested in future events!


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